Do you frown upon elitism?

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Elitism: The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.

I will take a neutral stance while surfing through any forum dedicated to gathering those from the spectrum. Many numbers have taken on an elitist mentality perhaps understandably, while the remainders have either been neutral (that's my view), or gone against it entirely. I have a number of questions to ask you that pertain to your personal opinion. Sharing our thoughts with one another can bring everyone (AS or NT alike) together for mature discussion on the matter.

1) Do you consider Aspies superior/inferior in general?

2) Are we the successive step of evolution away from the neuro-typical type human beings?

3) Is it possible we are a step backward in the evolutionary process due to external influences such as brain chemical imbalances?

4) Is it possible that we aren't so much as a step forward/backward as we are a step to the side, as in an offshoot?

Do your life circumstances determine your views? One day you might reply to this thread with one personal thought and then the matters and dealings of life change your perception. There is nothing flawed in altering one's opinion, simply because it isn't always in our conscious control, and it happens usually on an unconscious level. Someday you might feel superior and hateful toward NT's or Aspies, while today you feel equal or inferior to them. Changed opinions are welcomed. Opinions are quite often a variable. Chronological inconsistencies are unavoidable, if not to a certain individual, then to society as a whole.

Last edited by Logicite on 18 May 2007, 4:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[quote="Logicite"]Elitism: The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.

[1) Do you consider Aspies superior/inferior in general?]

No I think aspies are just different in more ways.

[2) Are we the successive step of evolution away from the neuro-typical type human beings?]

No, just by the nature of being different does not mean that we are better or worse off. Where in areas we have gifts, we have sigificant difficulties in other areas.

[3) Is it possible we are a step backward in the evolutionary process due to external influences such as brain chemical imbalances?] No, see above.

4) Is it possible that we aren't so much as a step forward/backward as we are a step to the side?

Not especialy, just diverse.

No step in evolution is chosen it just succeeds. That's what makes it evolution.

But it's the pelvic thrust, that really drives you insa-a-a-a-ane.

No. Autistic people may in some areas have "superior" or "inferior" skills in various areas to typical people, but that's skill levels, not people.



No, and that idea misunderstands how evolution works.



No, and that idea also misunderstands how evolution works.



We're a part of the overall diversity of the human species.

I need to clarify that the questions mainly contain that false sense of what evolution is.

There is never to my knowledge a process by which Natural Selection creates a separate sub-species (AS in this instance) right out of the original species (NT in this instance) and deems the sub-species higher on the food chain. That would only really work if the originals were..... disposed of at first. By no means would the sub-species be a minority. We know there aren't more AS people than NT people.

I'm going by what many said elitists seem to imply.

I think we're parallel with NT's. The world needs us as much as it needs them. Everything serves a purpose. It's the same in all areas of life, sure the world needs brilliant and creative inventors and such, but if the garbage man didn't show up every week, the streets would be swimming with diseased rats. Equal importance in my opinion.

I don't really think you can say that anyone is superior or inferior to another. That said, is it a disability? Does having AS cause a marked impairment in functioning in todays world? Maybe to both, it really depends on the individual and what standard you are measuring them up against. I sure know trying to get an AS child through school is only made easier when it is viewed as an impairment or disability, a workable one, but nonetheless, one that needs special attention to allow the child the most success in the school world.

Other people with As have a hard time leaving the house, or holding down meaningful employment. Is that an impairment? Well, I think the vast majority would say "yes". Does that make them an inferior human being? I think that is a very bold statement, personally I don't think so!


I don't think so. I think aspies have been around forever. I Think in a pre modern society, they where likely the Shamans and medicine women, maybe not all shamans or medicine women where aspie, but many probably where. They often are thought to have lived on the outskirts of society, semi alone, memorizing by wrote the ancient stories, specializing in their 'craft". Frequently these people did not have children of their own, they where too dedicated to their "profession". If they did, it is likely they had them with NT's, so the Aspie Genes never got concentrated.

In todays modern world, with the global village environment, like minds are able to hook up more easily, more couples with AS tendancies seem to be finding eachother, they have an increased chance of having aspie children! Not all aspies marry aspies, or have children with aspies, but many seem to, or at least with people who have a lot of aspie like personality quirks. Is this evolution? Maybe, if you consider eveolution selective breeding. I just don't ever see the Aspie / NT worlds becoming segregated enough to actually produce two distinct races of people, those who are Aspie, and those who are NT!




No. I don't think so.


Maybe, but aspies will never be an offshoot. It would be like trying to breed a new dog breed, taking dogs with desirable traits and taking the offspring and breeding them with the traits most desired, and not those with traits that are not desired until finally the dogs produce only carbon copies of themselves with relatively few undesirable throwbacks to prior generations. Only instead of doing just this, you take every third generation and breed it with a mutt, introducing a whole new buffet of genes to "contaminate" the gene pool in the next litter! You would never ever get a new purebred dog doing such a thing! Now I find dog breeding or any animal breeding rather abhorant, and comparing people to dogs also is not in very good taste, but the point is the same. How can you bring forth a new breed of human, if they keep being cross mingled with the regular population?

Yes I frown upon elitism.

This made me laugh really loudly while at my stupid job. Awesome.

As cool as it would be to be the next step in human evolution, I am inclined to think it's more of a lateral move, if it's to be considered an evolutionary step at all. In particular, I don't really see how my AS-attributed behavioral proclivities are in any way beneficial to the propogation of my genes.

Or maybe our bodies are thinking ahead, and we're all being genetically groomed to be particularly skilled robopsychologists. ^____^

Last edited by vbondy on 18 May 2007, 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

1) Do you consider Aspies superior/inferior in general?
Depeneds on perspective. My own is uncertain.

2) Are we the successive step of evolution away from the neuro-typical type human beings?
Human Beings are social animals, and a... change... like this is off of the beaten path. You gotta wonder WHY such a major change would happen... I have no idea, and I kinda hope not. Change... I hate it.

3) Is it possible we are a step backward in the evolutionary process due to external influences such as brain chemical imbalances?
A Step Back? No... I don't think so... although you never know. In a sense, if you go for evolution, we evolved from lesser primates. The majority of apes and monkeys etc etc etc are all social animals. I don't know. I doubt it.

4) Is it possible that we aren't so much as a step forward/backward as we are a step to the side, as in an offshoot?
Unfortunately, I DO see it as a Defect. An offshoot if you will. Neurotypical is the Norm, unfortunately. We're not the norm. See it as you will, but I find it to be an alienating curse.


As for elitism, there is nothing I despise more than it. Thats one thing thats starting to bother me about the AS/ASD community. I'm seeing a superiority complex taking root, and I'm becoming quite turned off by this growing cancer. All I want to see is some humility.

I think the Adaptation needs to be mutual. Them to us, us to them. Comfortably in the middle, instead of them having to cater to us like we're some kind of gods, or them forcing us into something completely alien and unworkable.

See what I'm getting at? Something Henry Kissenger said once about Compromise. I forget what it
NTs need our understanding as much as we need theirs.

EDIT: I was thinking about it... I've always felt like someone or some event was there to slap me down whenever I started to feel... well.. Pride. So I really have NO pride. None whatsoever.

Last edited by RadiationHazard on 18 May 2007, 6:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

that made me laugh out loud at my stupid job too....('cept my job really isn't that stupid...it could be alot worse)

I am not sure that I agree with your definition of elitism but I do definately believe in meritocracy.

It is only a recent trend that elitism has been confused with snobbery (in the UK at least) and has generally evolved to have pejorative connotation.

I tend to agree with RadiationHazard here. We are genetic the same species. The fact that we have a condition that makes us different from the 99%'ers is neither here nor there. I don't think we are exactly like NT people but don't this we could be viewed as anything different to the species -wise. Having said that, people who use their differences as a way to promote themselves as better than other really annoy me. THis goes for anyone with any difference. I am different from a lot of my mates who are NT. In some aspects I think differently and have some stregnths they don't have and visa versa. If they were to turn around and say they were better than me because they were on the spectrum they wouldn't remain mates that long. The same would apply if I was to do this to them.
I think there is potential for people on the spectrum to achieve brilliant things in society and for society irrespective of any of their ineptitudes. I think that it is overly simplistic to promote NT's over ASD or visa versa